John A.

Experience

• 

  Action Council of Monterey County

  Interim CFO/COO

  Oct 2025 - Present

  The Action Council of Monterey County incubates leaders, innovative ideas, emerging organizations, and cross-sector community action to advance racial equity and support healthy, thriving communities.

  • Provided executive leadership across finance and operations for Action Council.
  • Led financial strategy and organizational performance optimization in support of mission-driven initiatives.
  • Supported operations for over 30 fiscally sponsored groups, strengthening funder and community partnerships.
• 

  Action Council of Monterey County

  Chief Finance and Operations Officer

  Jan 2025 - Present

  • Serving as CFOO to strengthen financial systems and operational structure during a pivotal transition period.
  • Leading enterprise-wide financial and operational strategy to strengthen sustainability, transparency, and mission alignment across programs and teams.
  • Partnering with the Executive Director and board to advance a multi-year roadmap for fiscal resilience, infrastructure modernization, and organizational growth.
  • Driving comprehensive assessment of financial systems, cost structures, and earned-revenue opportunities to ensure every resource advances mission impact.
  • Implementing data-driven decision frameworks that align budgets, impact metrics, and strategic priorities.
  • Championing diversity, equity, inclusion, and access through equitable resource allocation and workforce development initiatives.
  • Building upon prior success leading revenue and operations at the National Geographic Society and Monterey Bay Aquarium, this role continues my focus on aligning finance, mission, and operational excellence to empower
  • lasting institutional health.
• 

  Lawrence Hall of Science, UC Berkeley

  Advisory Board Member

  Jan 2025 - Present

  For over 50 years, The Lawrence Hall of Science has been focused on the future, innovating in science education, fostering experiential learning, and expanding STEM access for diverse learners.

  • Appointed to provide strategic counsel to executive leadership on institutional growth, audience development, and long-range organizational strategy for a nationally recognized science center.
• 

  Independent Consultant

  Strategic Advisor to Nonprofits (Consulting Practice – Invitation Only)

  Jan 2020 - Present

  LinkedIn is a professional networking site that allows its members to create business connections, search jobs, and find potential clients.

  • Selectively advising nonprofit executives and boards on strategic revenue models, financial sustainability, and building organizational cultures that support long-term growth.
  • Focus areas include revenue diversification and earned income design.
  • Focus areas include operational and programmatic efficiency.
  • Focus areas include leadership coaching and team alignment.
  • Focus areas include culture-informed strategic planning and limiting active engagements to mission-aligned partners.
• 

  National Geographic Society

  Vice President of Strategy and Revenue

  Aug 2024 - Sep 2025

  • Led strategy and revenue alignment for one of the world’s most recognized mission-based organizations.
  • Partnered across departments to unify earned income, philanthropy, partnerships, and audience development into a cohesive growth framework.
  • Directed initiatives that increased cross-divisional collaboration and financial efficiency.
  • Advanced digital and experiential revenue models that deepened audience engagement while strengthening financial sustainability.
  • Championed fiscal literacy and transparent resource allocation to maximize mission return on every investment.
  • Reinforced a culture of creativity and fiscal responsibility that continues to shape the Society’s operational and strategic evolution.
• 

  Monterey Bay Aquarium

  Vice President of Revenue

  Apr 2017 - Aug 2024

  The mission of the nonprofit Monterey Bay Aquarium is to inspire conservation of the ocean through world-class exhibits, education, rigorous science, and policy leadership.

  • Inspired performance excellence in over 200 personnel, including retail and culinary vendor staff through team leadership and culture building.
  • Increased organizational efficiency through the realignment of several departments, increasing cross-program revenue generation, while streamlining operating systems which reduced costs by over $500K a year.
  • Increased data driven decision making optimizing accounting processes, financial reporting, data gathering, and contract procedures.
• 

  MarkeTeam Foodservice

  Broker

  Jan 2016 - Dec 2017

  MarkeTeam Foodservice connects top-tier foodservice equipment brands with operators and dealers across the Northwest and West, providing test kitchens, demos, and tailored kitchen solutions.

  • Represented top-tier foodservice equipment brands to operators, dealers, and consultants across the Pacific Northwest and western U.S.
  • Specialized in kitchen solutions for restaurants, healthcare, education, corrections, and multi-unit groups.
  • Supported customers with hands-on demos, test kitchens, and tailored equipment recommendations to optimize operations.
• 

  The Chefs' Warehouse

  Sales Manager

  Jan 2015 - Dec 2016

  The Chefs' Warehouse is North America's leading specialty food distributor, offering thousands of premium ingredients to elite restaurants, hotels, and gourmet retailers with a culture rooted in curiosity and support.

  • Led sales initiatives to grow territory revenue while building durable relationships with chefs, hotels, and gourmet operators.
  • Coached and developed sales teams to improve performance, customer service, and product penetration.
  • Collaborated cross-functionally with procurement, operations, and marketing to align supply with menu needs and market trends.

• Foodservice & CPG

  Commercial Leadership Roles (Foodservice & CPG)

  Jan 2015 - Jan 2017

  • Broker — MarkeTeam Foodservice
  • –2017
  • Sales Manager — The Chefs’ Warehouse
  • –2016
  • Led regional and national commercial partnerships across foodservice and specialty CPG markets, driving revenue growth, brand placement, and distributor alignment for premium and emerging brands.
  • Built executive-level relationships with chefs, operators, distributors, and manufacturers while managing full-cycle sales strategy, account development, and market expansion.
  • Key focus areas:
  • Revenue growth and market expansion
  • Strategic partnerships and brokerage
  • Distributor and operator engagement
  • Brand development and strategy
• 

  Sysco

  District Sales Manager

  Jan 2010 - Jan 2015

  • Directed multi-territory sales operations with full revenue accountability, leading and developing high-performing teams while driving sustained growth across complex, high-volume accounts.
  • This reinforces:
  • Scale
  • People leadership
  • P&L responsibility

• Self-employed

  Artist

  Jan 1992 - Jan 2018

  • Fine artist. Represented by Bert Green Fine Arts in Chicago, Illinois.
  • Life long career exhibiting in galleries and museums nationally and internationally.
  • Film: https://m.imdb.com/name/nm4911203/
  • Permanent collection, El Museo Erótico de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
  • “Draw” Group exhibition, at the El Museo de la Ciudad de México, Mexico City, Mexico
  • ”Small Works" Sonoma Museum of Visual Art, Santa Rosa, CA
  • Riverside Art Museum, Riverside, CA:
  • ”Sacred Symbols/New Visions" Group show
  • "Daylight Fantasy, The Night's Dark Side" Group show
  • ”Angeli" Group show
  • ”Classic Elements" Group show
  • "Loss and Remembrance" Group show
  • ”Art Equinox" Paris Gibson Square Museum of Art, ME
  • Crocker Art Museum Group show. Sacramento, CA
  • ”New American Talent™ Laguna Gloria Art Museum, Group show. Austin, Texas
  • The Fine Arts Institute of San Bernardino County Museum Group show. Redlands, CA
  • Publications:
  • “Carnivora” (2015) Book based on the group show “Carnivora” curated by Les Barany
  • “Draw” (2011) Exhibition catalog curated by Miguel Calderón
  • “Gothic Art Now” (2008) edited by Jasmine Becket-Griffith